Qld Labor candidate stands by homophobic slur
Queensland Labor candidate Peter Watson has refused to withdraw homophobic comments which forced him to pull out of the March 24 state election.
The 19-year-old (pictured) was the candidate for the rural seat of Southern Downs and may now be expelled by the Labor party after reaffirming his position that homosexuality and paedophilia are linked.
“I said that homosexuality and paedophilia were linked because there’s been some research done,” Watson told ABC radio. “And it's been published by the Catholic Church, that suggests that 30 per cent of male paedophiles are homosexual.”
In explaining the research behind paedophilia Watson failed to mention the sexuality of the remaining 70 per cent of male paedophiles.
During the interview Watson stood by the comments by saying: “Well I made the comments, so I do agree with it”.
“These comments I made about homosexuals were made when I was like 14, 15 years old, so we’re talking about four, five years ago,” he said.
Labor state secretary Anthony Chisholm yesterday released the statement saying Watson denied the claims of homophobia but has since said he will try to remove Watson from the party.
“Well that's what he told our officials at the time, clearly he has had a change of mind on those matters,” Mr Chisholm told ABC radio.
“Clearly the decision to ask for his resignation was the correct one.”
Responding to the growing controversy, Premier Anna Bligh today condemned Watson’s comments and suggested that the young man had in fact infiltrated the Labor Party by hiding his “extremist views” which have also been linked to posts about neo-Nazis.
"I'm certainly very, very angry about this man's endorsement in the first place.
"This man was very determined to get into the Australian Labor Party, hiding his views and then to make them known to embarrass the party,” Bligh told reporters in Mackay.
"I can only take from this man's comments and his comments indicate that he was infiltrating what he called the enemy.”
The LNP has also questioned why Labor Party officials did not run a simple internet search on Watson.
“What checking did they do when anybody could go out there, blind Freddy could actually find this particular information which was out there for all to see,” LNP MP Lawrence Springborg told ABC radio.
In one of the original posts in 2009, Watson admitted he is homophobic and said he believes homosexuals are society's true degenerates.
“Yes, I am homophobic. Homosexuals disgust me with their decadent attitudes to life and their life styles,” he wrote in the post.
“They are really bad for our society and they need to be dealt with by the powers to be. It is a proven fact that most paedophiles are homosexual.”
“Homosexuality and paedophilia go hand in hand with each other. [T]o deal with one you must deal with the other in order to wipe them from society.
“We must come up with a final solution to solve these problems.”
Watson continued his post to emphasise the logic behind his arguments.
“I am not lunatic and nor am I mad. They are based on years of studying and thinking about the current situation and system that are facing the Australian people,” he wrote.
“The reason why you think that I am mad is because my ideas are totally different to … your ideas.”
- Tags: ALP, Anna Bligh, Anthony Chisolm, Blaze, Homophobia, Labor, LNP, MCV, Peter Watson, Politics, Queensland, Queensland Pride, SX
About the Author
Alex Dunkin
"Tall, dark and handsome", and a borderline coffee addict. Grew up in country South Australia prior to travelling and living overseas and then returning to the state to undertake university degrees in journalism and international studies with a focus on the Italian language. Constantly writing new material, both journalistic and creative, with a couple of recent awards under his belt including the youth prize in the New Mardi Gras literature prize.
Comments (7)
This isn't homophobia - this is hate.
I find it amusing that this story appears on Yahoo7 directly under a story about Simon Humble or "The Risoto King" who has just been jailed for having sex with underage teenage girls - clearly paedophilia is just as much a straight issue - but of course people like Peter Watson will skim over that fact
Hmm 'final solution', where have I heard those words before....
Does anyone else find those words disturbing? This is the kind of rhetoric used by dictators before they begin their 'cleansing' of what they believe are the problem 'groups' in society.
Another dangerous zealot, misinterpreting research, sensationalising fiction and claiming it as fact...'research done by the Catholic Church on paedophiles', well it's good he went straight to the horse's mouth on that one.
Very glad to hear the QLD Labour Party are trying to bin him.
It's not your difference of opinion Peter that's the problem, it's your manipulation of research, lack of compassion and hate speak that's concerning for all.
Hmmm I picked up on the 'final solution' comment as well. This person is truly scary.
"A man convinced against his will
Is of the same opinion still"
Given the swathes of research available on this subject, we have nothing to fear from having this radical young man, and others like him, 'put up or shut up' in a public debate with a well informed spokesperson from our lot.
Sacking someone for holding an opinion, however bizarre or misguided, is not going to change his personal view by and of itself. It's worth looking backaways through history to find some of our most strident enemies eventually becoming valued allies, oftentimes through having their own gay or lesbian child come out to them.
For example one of the founders of the notorious Exodus 'ex-gay' Foundation has publicly repudiated the organisation and apologised for all the harm it did under his watch, and continues to do to this day.
Releasing Mr Watson into the political wilderness was imperative, but if not challenged, he will continue to spread lies and misinformation. The analogy with Hitler already made above is appropriate.
.I'm really sorry for the decent homosexuals that
fit into a normative society
Who are persecuted with unjustified discrimination.
Violence comes in many forms and the attitude of the
Political gay lobby group is psychological torture for
Community service workers battling the breakdown
Of families and society. As a street kid i only had
bad experiances with the pedophile homosexuals,
I met some decent ones latter in life in nursing
And other respected professions.
From the outside looking in the straights see you as
Freaks who are a fetish sub cultur of drugs,
pornography and promiscuity. I understand that you
Born that way with uncontrolable sexual urges but you
Would be wise not to put it in the same argument for gay
marriage and adoption because the promiscuity of
The Mardi gra is in contraindicated to the child protection act
And your anti moral authority stand is contra factory to
The children's charter. I would defend to the death any child born
With a transgender disease but I would not have a conscience
for a promiscuous pornographic bi-sexual drug user who was
Discriminated against as a cancer on society.
Your honorably
Neil Bridgewater
CS Worker
DLP Punisher
Retired)
Political parties that endorse children as candidates have to expect childish outbursts.